With just four days before the threatened shutdown of one of state’s six nuclear power plants, Illinois House Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker appear to have reached agreement on an energy policy that would set a path to a carbon-free future while also putting customers on the hook for a nearly $700 million bailout of scandal-plagued Commonwealth Edison’s parent company.

       The measure’s sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Marcus Evans of Chicago, said it’s estimated the package would increase power bills for the average residential customer by about $4.50 per month.

       The plan, which also would require approval in the Democratic-controlled Senate before going to Pritzker’s desk, has crucial backing from two of the majority party’s key bases of support: labor unions and environmentalists. Those groups have been at odds throughout the summer over how to phase out two municipally owned coal-fired power plants in Springfield and near St. Louis.

       The measure, sent to the full House Thursday afternoon following a 9-6 committee vote along party lines, would require the Prairie State Generating Station — one of the top industrial sources of carbon pollution in the U.S. — and Springfield’s city-owned plant to reduce climate-damaging emissions by 45% by 2035 and completely by 2045.

       A phased reduction in emissions from the plants was a major demand from Pritzker as part of his plan to combat climate change by putting the state on a path to 100% carbon-free energy by 2050.

       But negotiations continued Thursday even after the committee vote. Because the measure would take effect immediately, it must be passed by a three-fifths majority, requiring 71 votes in the House. That means Democrats, who hold 73 seats, can afford few defections without needing some support from Republicans.

       The plan still faces opposition from consumer advocates and others who argue that it is a costly giveaway to ComEd and parent Exelon after ComEd admitted in federal court last year that it engaged in a yearslong bribery scheme in an effort to advance its agenda in Springfield. That included a previous bailout for two Exelon nuclear plants in 2016.

       Even before the plan was formally introduced Thursday during a one-day House session, Pritzker indicated he would sign it if it reaches his desk, saying in a statement that it “puts consumers and climate first, while protecting and creating jobs.”

       “I think that keeping those nuclear power plants open is very important for jobs as well as for a clean energy environment for our state,” Pritzker said Thursday morning at an unrelated event in Chicago.

       "Save the Nuclear Plants" reads a sign outside th Byron Generating Station in Byron, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. If state lawmakers are unable to approve an energy pan that would include a bailout for three Exelon nuclear plants in the upcoming days, the company has said it will shut down the Bryon plant permanently after Sept. 13. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

       Exelon has said that it will shut down its Byron nuclear power plant in northwestern Illinois by Monday if lawmakers don’t approve a bailout for that facility and two other nuclear plants. The Dresden nuclear plant in Grundy County is slated for shutdown in November absent additional help from Springfield.

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       The company has argued that subsidies tacked on to customers’ power bills are justified because its nuclear plants, which produce large amounts of energy without spewing climate-damaging carbon dioxide, can’t compete with cheaper, dirtier fossil fuels and subsidized renewable sources such as wind and solar.

       In addition to Byron and Dresden, Exelon’s Braidwood plant in Will County also would receive a bailout.

       House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said in a statement Thursday morning that the House would not take up a measure approved last week in the Senate that would require the Prairie State and Springfield plants to close by 2045 but not to reduce emissions in the interim.

       Senate Democrats have been briefed on the House plan but were not directly involved in the latest round of negotiations.

       The House plan would require most coal plants to close by the end of the decade and natural gas plants to go offline by 2045.

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       It also would provide renewed subsides for wind and solar energy projects, seeks to boost job training for the clean energy industry and aims to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, partly through a $4,000 rebate for consumers.

       The proposal includes provisions aimed at preventing the type of misconduct ComEd admitted to in its agreement with federal prosecutors. Those include requiring state officials to disclose whether any immediate family members are employed by utilities and creating a new state position to oversee ethics and compliance at utilities. Utilities also would be required to hire a chief ethics and compliance officer.

       Supporters of the plan say it would end so-called formula rates, another major policy change approved during the years ComEd has acknowledged engaging in its bribery scheme. Rather than having to go before state regulators to win approval of a rate increase, formula rates guaranteed the company would reap higher profits from customers as it spent more on energy grid upgrades.

       Consumer advocates dispute that claim, arguing that it would extend policies that guarantee profits for ComEd and downstate utility Ameren Illinois. Those policies would be more costly to power customers in the long run than the nuclear plant subsidies, Abe Scarr, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, told the House Executive Committee on Thursday.

       “The General Assembly is choosing to continue rewarding scandal-plagued ComEd with guaranteed profits,” Scarr said. ““This outcome is absolutely unnecessary.

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       “As a matter of policy, we do not need to guarantee utility profits to eliminate carbon emissions from the power sector, nor to invest in renewable energy, nor to achieve other praiseworthy goals of this legislation.”

       The proposal also faces opposition from business groups, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, largely over the potential cost for commercial and industrial power customers.

       “Passing this legislation in its (current) form is going to eliminate one of Illinois’ biggest advantages,” Mark Denzler, president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said at Thursday’s hearing.

       The current low cost of power in Illinois helps attract and retain businesses, Denzler said.

       dpetrella@chicagotribune.com

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